Forestry class teaches students valuable skills

By Jake Senesac
Staff Writer

With the winter weather coming in full force, the last few weeks of Purdue’s Forestry and Natural Resources 444, "Arboriculture Practice," classes are winding down. The course covers different techniques and skills in agriculture, such as climbing, pruning and tree removal. The class gets hands-on experience working in the Horticulture Park on campus.

Students get to preserve, cut down and study trees to get experience in the field of agriculture. One requirement is being able to be suspended by a rope from 50 feet from the ground and using the right techniques to cut off branches.

Ryan Nicely, a junior in the School of Agriculture, said he would recommend this class to others if they are in for a challenge. "It is not really a class you can skip or else you fall behind. You cannot afford to miss any classes," he said.

In this class, getting credit is obtained in several ways. Damon Hall, a senior in the School of Agriculture, said, "The curriculum and the assignments are extremely open. There are several things you can do for your assignments. I got credit for this class by taking CPR and First Aid."

Proper instruction is given to the students before actually going up in the trees, and they are never expected to do any tree work if the weather is bad. While one student is up in a tree, the rest of the class looks on and learns what to do through their classmates. Despite using equipment like handsaws and chainsaws, there have been no serious injuries in the class.

The class is valuable for the skills and contacts in their field. Tina Standeford, a senior in the School of Agriculture, said, "(Professor Harvey Holt) gives us an opportunity to meet with the different businesses around and gives us an idea of what to expect when we get out into the workforce."

Different students take the class for different reasons. David Nicoles, a senior in the School of Agriculture, said, "I am interested in a wide range of things but by far this is the field that has stood out and caught my interest. This class gives me a better understanding in the skills and techniques related to the profession."

Nicely is taking the class because forestry runs in his family — his father runs Randy’s Tree Service in Evansville, Ind. A goal Nicely has had since high school is to "someday take over the family business."

This class is one way of preparing him to do so by getting him to see all the different methods used in tree care. All the students in the class seem to enjoy while they learn.

When it comes to the goals of the class, Holt said, "We hope they will learn good tree care so as a home owner they will be able to take care of them. We also hope they will get enough skills to go straight to the workforce and be functional. Even if it is not something they make a career of, it gives them something to fall back on."

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